Michael Jordan and LeBron James are usually the only names mentioned during the NBA’s GOAT debate. According to former point guard Lou Williams, Kevin Durant also belongs in the conversation — but in a segment on the ‘BIG’ podcast, Shaquille O’Neal revealed the biggest thing holding him back from that status.
Shaquille O’Neal: “[Kevin Durant] says his name should be discussed in the greatest of all-time. Agree or disagree?”
Lou Williams: “I think so. Kevin Durant is a transcendent talent, bro. We’ve never seen anybody like Kevin Durant. The timing was bad when he went to Golden State but I think any other year of his career if he goes there it’s not looked at as that particular thing.”
Shaquille O’Neal: “I think he has his own special category, like me. I’m not in the GOAT conversation but I am one of the two most dominant players ever. So he’s one or two of the most prolific dominant scorers ever. You lose to Golden State and then you go join them, I think that tarnishes it. Now, if he can win one where he’s the bus driver like Charles always says, I think we would definitely have to put him in that conversation.”
As a 2x champion, MVP, and 14x All-Star, Kevin Durant is considered generational talent by many fans and experts on par with some of the legends of the modern NBA. While most don’t consider him the GOAT, he’s not too far off from the territory considering his unmatched skills as a shooter and scorer.
As for Durant himself, we already know how he feels about the conversation. There is no question that he sees himself on the same level as players like Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry. If the criteria were based mostly on skills, Kevin would certainly qualify more than most.
Unfortunately, Durant’s move to the Warriors in 2016 complicates his GOAT argument. He enjoyed unrivaled prosperity alongside Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green but it came at the cost of his legacy. With so much firepower to work with, a lot of fans dismissed Durant’s championships and when he moved on to the Nets in 2019, he was expected to go out and win one on his own.
Since leaving the Warriors, it’s been nothing but disappointment and chaos for Durant and neither the Nets nor the Suns have come close to a title run. In fact, outside the shadow of Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant has very little to show in the way of team success.
Critics like Charles Barkley have called Durant out on this for years, popularizing the phrase “bus rider” to describe his run in Golden State compared to LeBron’s win with the Cavaliers in 2016.
If not for being on one of the most stacked teams in NBA history, Kevin Durant might still be without a championship, and until he wins one on his own that will always be the main narrative around his career and why he will never be in the GOAT conversation.
At 36 years old, Durant is running out of time to build up his case but if he can find a game plan that works this season he may be able to pull off one last run before it’s all said and done.
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